Transcript: Chip Kelly

The following is a transcript of the conference call between Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly and the Tampa Bay aread media:

(On the difference between NFL defenses and college defenses preparing for the spread offense)

“I think it’s very similar. It’s all personnel-driven. Whether you’re in college or you’re in the NFL, you’re just trying to put your players in position to make plays. What one team does isn’t necessarily what another team’s going to do, because the personnel is different.”

(On Philadelphia’s quarterback situation for Sunday and how it might affect their offense)

“Mike [Vick] is day-to-day. He did some stuff, drill-work yesterday. He feels a lot healthier today, so we’ll see if we can get him involved in the team in seven-on-seven reps. Our offense doesn’t change. Obviously, no matter who your quarterback is, you try to play a little bit more to their strengths, but the general understanding in what we do offensively doesn’t change. It didn’t change when Nick [Foles] went in the game against the [New York] Giants.”

(On considering Tampa Bay’s head coaching job two years ago)

“I looked at it very hard. I was very impressed. I met with Joel and Ed and Bryan [Glazer] and [General Manager] Mark Dominik and [was] really impressed with those guys. My decision, at that point in time, was about where I was – extremely close to the staff at [the University of] Oregon and my players – and that was – when push came to shove, I couldn’t leave them at that time. My decision to not take that job was totally about the University of Oregon, not the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”

(On differences between the NFL and college football)

“Obviously, the game’s different, the roster’s different, how much time you’re allowed to be with your players is different, what your daily structure is like is different. You get four preseason games – you don’t have that in college. You have a longer season in the NFL. There’s a lot of different things.”

(On Tampa Bay’s defense)

“Very athletic and runs extremely well. They’ve got outstanding players at every level. [Defensive tackle] Gerald McCoy’s one of the top three-techniques in the league, extremely active, creates a lot of havoc in there. [Defensive end] Adrian Clayborn is another guy that jumps out on tape. He always seems to be around the ball. At linebacker, Lavonte David, Mason Foster – two real athletic guys that can run. And then, maybe as good a secondary as there is in football with [Darrelle] Revis at corner and [Mark] Barron and [Dashon] Goldson at the safeties, then you’ve got the young rookie who we really like, [cornerback] Johnthan Banks out there. [The defense is] very athletic, very fast – not a lot of space out there because they run so well, and they always seem in position to make plays.”

(On if Eagles quarterback Nick Foles play against the Buccaneers last year gives him confidence in playing him on Sunday)

“The nod’s all, where’s Mike’s health, but Nick did play well against them last year. Nick played well against the [New York] Giants in the second half here. I’ve said since I got here you better have two quarterbacks in this league and we feel like we have two. I think Mike has done a great job when he’s been in there and I think Nick’s done a great job when he’s been in there.”

“I think like any quarterback, you need to generate pressure on him and not let him feel comfortable when he’s getting ready to throw the ball. Any quarterback that has the opportunity to sit back there and survey the defense and take their time and not feel any pressure is going to be successful. We know Mike, we looked at him extensively last year coming out. I know his coaches really well at N.C. State. Very smart player, really throws the ball extremely well. We had no question he was going to be a really good football player in this league and it’s obvious he earned his starting job down there, just because of his talent. Like any quarterback, whether it was [Denver Broncos quarterback] Peyton Manning two weeks ago that we didn’t do a good job of generating pressure or last week against [New York Giants quarterback] Eli [Manning] where we did do a good job of generating pressure, you’ve got to make sure the quarterback really doesn’t have time to set his feet, survey the defense and throw the football, because any quarterback in the NFL will pick you apart if you give them that opportunity.”

(On if he’s ever faced Greg Schiano before)

“When I was at New Hampshire [University] we played against Coach Schiano when he was at Rutgers [University] and I know Greg just from recruiting on the east coast and very familiar with him. He did a hell of a job at Rutgers in turning that program around. Defensive minded coach, teams are always well coached. They’re tough, they’re disciplined.”

(On how tempo helps his offense)

“I think tempo is just a tool in your tool-bag. You can change up how the defense is going to react to you. You force them to play a little bit faster than they are normally used to practicing or playing against. We believe that’s it’s weapon, but we don’t believe it’s an end-all.”

“I see two really, really good football players and I would tell say you should read that whole interview. He says he has the most upmost respect for Revis and knows it’s going to be a great match-up. It’s a great opportunity for him to go-I think he was asked the question of who they thought was faster, whether him or Revis, but he by no means [meant disrespect]. I think he was very complementary and talked about the match-up between the Eagles and the Bucs. I saw the one thing that caught the headlines, I think that was in response to the question of who was faster. I don’t think who is faster means anything, it’s who’s going to make the most plays and it’ll be a real intriguing matchup on [Sunday]. I think Revis is the best corner out there and it’s going to be a huge challenge for us.”

(On avoiding quarterback controversy with two potential starting quarterbacks on the roster)

“I don’t care what other people say. I think if you have two good quarterbacks, they know it, we know it, so that’s all we’re concerned about.”